Spill-proof coloring container

Abstract

The spill-proof coloring container is an invention that because of its unique geometry and design, will when oriented in any position prevent spillage of liquid contents when filled to predetermined amount. Because of the use of vacuum formed sheet in the construction of the container, the container pieces are compactly stackable and are of substantially low manufacturing cost. The container is principally intended for use by young children to facilitate painting pictures and dying objects such as Easter eggs without the mess otherwise associated with painting and dying. The invention is also intended to help avoid the mess associated with pouring paint or paint powder concentrates otherwise encountered when preparing a cup of paint for general purpose painting.

I claim: 
     
       1. A container for use in coloring eggs without spilling egg dye, said container having an inner cavity, an exterior, at least one non-gaseous fluid flow groove formed in a wall of said container, an opening in a wall of said container providing communication between said inner cavity and the exterior of said container, and a funnel connected to said opening. 
     
     
       2. The container of  claim 1  wherein said container defines an upper container portion and a lower container portion, and wherein said opening is located in an upper container portion wall, and wherein said funnel extends inward from said opening towards said inner cavity, and wherein said non-gaseous fluid flow groove defines a plurality of non-gaseous fluid flow grooves spaced about a lower container portion wall. 
     
     
       3. The container of  claim 2  wherein said container is adapted such that when a non-gaseous fluid and an object are contained within said container and said container is rotated, said non-gaseous fluid flows through said non-gaseous fluid flow grooves into a space within said container between said funnel and an upper container portion wall, but said object is prevented from moving into said space within said container between said funnel and an upper container portion wall. 
     
     
       4. The container of  claim 3  wherein said container resists the spillage of non-gaseous fluid contents of said container when said container contains non-gaseous fluid contents and is oriented in any orientation. 
     
     
       5. The container of  claim 4  wherein said funnel and said opening are adapted such that said object may pass through said funnel and said opening to be removed from said container. 
     
     
       6. The container of  claim 5  wherein at least a portion of a colorable workpiece is removably contained within said container, and wherein said colorable workpiece defines at least one colorable workpiece of the following group of colorable workpieces consisting of a substantially egg shaped work piece, an edible work piece, a substantially egg shaped edible work piece, and an egg, and wherein at least a portion of a utensil is removably contained within said container, and wherein said utensil defines at least one utensil of the following group of utensils consisting of a brush, a spoon, a wire egg dipper, a pair of tongs, and a straw, and wherein said container contains at least one colorant of the following group of colorants consisting of a colorant tablet, a predetermined quantity of powdered colorant, a discrete unit of colorant concentrate, and a colorant pill defining a colorant powder concentrate enclosed within a liquid soluble container. 
     
     
       7. The container of  claim 1  wherein said container removably contains at least a portion of a colorable workpiece, a utensil, and a colorant. 
     
     
       8. The container of  claim 7  wherein said colorable workpiece defines at least one colorable workpiece of the following group of colorable workpieces consisting of a substantially egg shaped work piece, an edible work piece, a substantially egg shaped edible work piece, and an egg, and wherein said utensil defines at least one utensil of the following group of utensils consisting of a brush, a spoon, a wire egg dipper, a pair of tongs, and a straw, and wherein said colorant defines at least one colorant of the following group of colorants consisting of a colorant tablet, a predetermined quantity of powdered colorant, a discrete unit of colorant concentrate, and a colorant pill defining a colorant powder concentrate enclosed within a liquid soluble container. 
     
     
       9. A container for use in coloring eggs without spilling egg dye, said container having an inner cavity, an exterior, at least one non-gaseous fluid flow groove formed in a wall of said container, an opening in a wall of said container providing communication between said inner cavity and the exterior of said container, and wherein said container resists the spillage of non-gaseous fluid contents of said container when said container contains non-gaseous fluid contents and is oriented in any orientation. 
     
     
       10. The container of  claim 9  wherein said container includes a funnel connected to said opening. 
     
     
       11. The container of  claim 10  wherein said container defines an upper container portion and a lower container portion, and wherein said opening is located in an upper container portion wall, and wherein said funnel extends inward from said opening towards said inner cavity, and wherein said non-gaseous fluid flow groove defines a plurality of non-gaseous fluid flow grooves spaced about a lower container portion wall. 
     
     
       12. The container of  claim 10  wherein said container defines an upper container portion and a lower container portion, and wherein said opening is located in an upper container portion wall, and wherein said funnel extends inward from said opening towards said inner cavity, and wherein said non-gaseous fluid flow groove defines a plurality of non-gaseous fluid flow grooves spaced about a lower container portion wall. 
     
     
       13. The container of  claim 12  wherein said funnel and said opening are adapted such that said object may pass through said funnel and said opening to be removed from said container. 
     
     
       14. The container of  claim 13  wherein at least a portion of a colorable workpiece is removably contained within said container, and wherein said colorable workpiece defines at least one colorable workpiece of the following group of colorable workpieces consisting of a substantially egg shaped work piece, an edible work piece, a substantially egg shaped edible work piece, and an egg, and wherein at least a portion of a utensil is removably contained within said container, and wherein said utensil defines at least one utensil of the following group of utensils consisting of a brush, a spoon, a wire egg dipper, a pair of tongs, and a straw, and wherein said container contains at least one colorant of the following group of colorants consisting of a colorant tablet, a predetermined quantity of powdered colorant, a discrete unit of colorant concentrate, and a colorant pill defining a colorant powder concentrate enclosed within a liquid soluble container. 
     
     
       15. The container of  claim 9  wherein said container removably contains at least a portion of a colorable workpiece, a utensil, and a colorant. 
     
     
       16. The container of  claim 15  wherein said colorable workpiece defines at least one colorable workpiece of the following group of colorable workpieces consisting of a substantially egg shaped work piece, an edible work piece, a substantially egg shaped edible work piece, and an egg, and wherein said utensil defines at least one utensil of the following group of utensils consisting of a brush, a spoon, a wire egg dipper, a pair of tongs, and a straw, and wherein said colorant defines at least one colorant of the following group of colorants consisting of a colorant tablet, a predetermined quantity of powdered colorant, a discrete unit of colorant concentrate, and a colorant pill defining a colorant powder concentrate enclosed within a liquid soluble container. 
     
     
       17. A container for use in coloring eggs without spilling egg dye, said container having an inner cavity, an exterior, at least one non-gaseous fluid flow groove formed in a wall of said container, and an opening in a wall of said container providing communication between said inner cavity and the exterior of said container, and wherein at least a portion of an object is removably contained within said container. 
     
     
       18. The container of  claim 17  wherein said container includes a funnel connected to said opening, and wherein said container resists the spillage of non-gaseous fluid contents of said container when said container contains non-gaseous fluid contents and is oriented in any orientation. 
     
     
       19. The container of  claim 18  wherein said container defines an upper container portion and a lower container portion, and wherein said opening is located in an upper container portion wall, and wherein said funnel extends inward from said opening towards said inner cavity, and wherein said non-gaseous fluid flow groove defines a plurality of non-gaseous fluid flow grooves spaced about a lower container portion wall. 
     
     
       20. The container of  claim 19  wherein said container is adapted such that when a non-gaseous fluid and an object are contained within said container and said container is rotated, said non-gaseous fluid flows through said non-gaseous fluid flow grooves into a space within said container between said funnel and an upper container portion wall, but said object is prevented from moving into said space within said container between said funnel and an upper container portion wall. 
     
     
       21. The container of  claim 20  wherein said funnel and said opening are adapted such that said object may pass through said funnel and said opening to be removed from said container. 
     
     
       22. The container of  claim 21  wherein at least a portion of a colorable workpiece is removably contained within said container, and wherein said colorable workpiece defines at least one colorable workpiece of the following group of colorable workpieces consisting of a substantially egg shaped work piece, an edible work piece, a substantially egg shaped edible work piece, and an egg, and wherein at least a portion of a utensil is removably contained within said container, and wherein said utensil defines at least one utensil of the following group of utensils consisting of a brush, a spoon, a wire egg dipper, a pair of tongs, and a straw, and wherein said container contains at least one colorant of the following group of colorants consisting of a colorant tablet, a predetermined quantity of powdered colorant, a discrete unit of colorant concentrate, and a colorant pill defining a colorant powder concentrate enclosed within a liquid soluble container. 
     
     
       23. The container of  claim 17  wherein said container removably contains at least a portion of a colorable workpiece, a utensil, and a colorant. 
     
     
       24. The container of  claim 23  wherein said colorable workpiece defines at least one colorable workpiece of the following group of colorable workpieces consisting of a substantially egg shaped work piece, an edible work piece, a substantially egg shaped edible work piece, and an egg, and wherein said utensil defines at least one utensil of the following group of utensils consisting of a brush, a spoon, a wire egg dipper, a pair of tongs, and a straw, and wherein said colorant defines at least one colorant of the following group of colorants consisting of a colorant tablet, a predetermined quantity of powdered colorant, a discrete unit of colorant concentrate, and a colorant pill defining a colorant powder concentrate enclosed within a liquid soluble container. 
     
     
       25. A container for use in coloring eggs without spilling egg dye, said container having an inner cavity, an exterior, at least one non-gaseous fluid flow groove formed in a wall of said container, an opening in a wall of said container providing communication between said inner cavity and the exterior of said container, and a funnel connected to said opening, and wherein at least a portion of an object is removably contained within said container, and wherein said container resists the spillage of non-gaseous fluid contents of said container when said container contains non-gaseous fluid contents and is oriented in any orientation. 
     
     
       26. The container of  claim 25  wherein said container defines an upper container portion and a lower container portion, and wherein said opening is located in an upper container portion wall, and wherein said funnel extends inward from said opening towards said inner cavity, and wherein said non-gaseous fluid flow groove defines a plurality of non-gaseous fluid flow grooves spaced about a lower container portion wall, and wherein said container is adapted such that when a non-gaseous fluid and an object are contained within said container and said container is rotated, said non-gaseous fluid flows through said non-gaseous fluid flow grooves into a space within said container between said funnel and an upper container portion wall, but said object is prevented from moving into said space within said container between said funnel and an upper container portion wall. 
     
     
       27. A container for use in coloring eggs without spilling egg dye, said container having an inner cavity, an exterior, and an opening in a wall of said container providing communication between said inner cavity and the exterior of said container, wherein said container contains non-gaseous fluid contents and a substantially solid-form object substantially immersed in said non-gaseous fluid contents, and wherein said container resists the spillage of said non-gaseous fluid contents of said container when said container contains said non-gaseous fluid contents and said substantially solid-form object substantially immersed in said non-gaseous fluid contents and is oriented in any orientation. 
     
     
       28. The container of  claim 27  wherein said container includes at least one of at least one non-gaseous fluid flow channel formed in a wall of said container and a funnel connected to said opening in a wall of said container. 
     
     
       29. The container of  claim 27  wherein said container removably contains at least one of a colorant and at least a portion of a utensil. 
     
     
       30. The container of  claim 27  wherein said opening is adapted such that said object may pass through said opening to be removed from said container, and wherein said non-gaseous fluid contents define a liquid. 
     
     
       31. The container of  claim 27  wherein said container includes at least one non-gaseous fluid flow channel formed in a wall of said container and a funnel connected to said opening in a wall of said container, and wherein said container removably contains a colorant and at least a portion of a utensil, and wherein said opening is adapted such that said object may pass through said opening to be removed from said container, and wherein said non-gaseous fluid contents defines a liquid. 
     
     
       32. The container of  claim 31  wherein said object defines at least one of a substantially egg shaped object, an edible object, a substantially egg shaped edible object, and an egg, and wherein said utensil defines at least one of a brush, a spoon, a wire egg dipper, a pair of tongs, and a straw, and wherein said colorant defines at least one of a colorant tablet, a predetermined quantity of powdered colorant, a discrete unit of colorant concentrate, and a colorant pill defining a colorant powder concentrate enclosed within a liquid soluble container, and wherein said liquid defines water. 
     
     
       33. A container for use in coloring eggs without spilling egg dye, said container having an inner cavity, an exterior, an opening in a wall of said container providing communication between said inner cavity and the exterior of said container, and at least one of a funnel connected to said opening and extending into said inner cavity and at least one non-gaseous fluid flow groove formed in a wall of said container, and wherein said container contains a substantially solid-form object substantially immersed in a non-gaseous fluid. 
     
     
       34. The container of  claim 33  wherein said container resists the spillage of said non-gaseous fluid contents of said container when said container contains non-gaseous fluid contents and is oriented in any orientation. 
     
     
       35. A container for use in coloring eggs without spilling egg dye, said container having an inner cavity, an exterior, at least one non-gaseous fluid flow groove formed in a wall of said container, an opening in a wall of said container providing communication between said inner cavity and the exterior of said container, and a funnel connected to said opening, and wherein said container is adapted such that when liquid and an object are contained within said container and said container is rotated, said liquid flows through said at least one non-gaseous fluid flow groove into a space within said container between said funnel and a container upper portion wall, and such that said object is prevented from moving into said space within said container between said funnel and an upper container portion wall.